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The Jamun Racing driver also starred in front of a capacity crowd at Brand Hatch (30 March) with a stunning recovery drive after stalling on the grid.

“Well, it was an eventful weekend!” was how he summed up the opening event of the season. “I definitely need to brush up my qualifying and starts, as that’s where it went wrong for me.”

The 18-year old from Hastings was ruing his inability to translate his blistering pace in Friday’s wet practice session into a front-row grid position when it really mattered. His frustration was further compounded 24-hours later when his car stalled at the start of Sunday’s race.

His own harshest critic, Jack was perhaps being a little too hard on himself. In a close-fought session against the clock, the top ten grid positions were separated by just eight-tenths of a second, with Barlow seventh-fastest.

“I didn’t get the best of starts,” he said after Saturday’s curtain-raiser. “I hadn’t even had the chance to practice a start before the race, so I dropped back and had to pick my way through the traffic.” Having got up to 4th Loughborough College student lined up Sam Brabham. “I got up to behind Sam, who really put up a fight and did a great job of defending, but he left the door open going into Druids (corner) and that was my opportunity to stick it down his inside.” When Brabham tangled with the driver behind him, Barlow was clear to bring his distinctive red Mygale home in a comfortable 3rd place – to claim his first silverware of the season.

A solid 5th place in the following race – despite struggling with a mishandling car – helped Barlow bank more valuable championship points. This put him into a respectable 4th place overall ahead of Sunday’s encounter in front of large crowds – attracted by the opening races of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

Thousands of fans had their hearts in their mouths as the Formula Ford field accelerated away from the starting grid, with several cars swerving to avoid collecting the stationary Barlow. After a few agonizing moments, his engine sparked into life and he streaked off in hot pursuit.

“You couldn’t see on the TV that I put in some proper, hairy moves!” he told reporters later. “I passed two cars going into Paddock Hill Bend and went round the outside of James Abbott at Druids.”

It was a scintillating drive, and one that moved complete strangers to congratulate him in the paddock afterwards: “People were coming up to me and saying ‘Were you in the red car? Oh man, you were awesome!’ and things like that. My team was delighted and even people from other teams were praising me for my pace and over-taking skills but I was just frustrated that I fluffed my start.”

Jack retained his 4th-place position in the points table and is now preparing for the series’ visit to Donington Park in Leicestershire (19/20 April). “Between now and then, I’m going to be practicing my starts!” he said – half joking. “If I can sort them out and find a little more qualifying speed, then we’ll be able to challenge for more podiums and hopefully, race wins.”

Jack would like to thank his marketing partners Skinners of Rye, Key Motor Finance and Corbeau Seats for their valued support.

Reigning British Formula Ford Scholarship Class champion Harrison Scott will return to the series for an assault on the outright title in 2014 after renewing his allegiance with Falcon Motorsport.

17-year-old Scott enjoyed a stellar maiden season in single-seater racing last year, claiming 13 class victories on his way to the Scholarship title.

But perhaps more impressive was his instant impression on the overall championship. In a season dominated by the experienced Dan Cammish, Essex-based Scott emerged as the series’ most exciting new prospect with 16 overall podiums, including a breakthrough victory at Silverstone. That allowed him to add an overall championship runner-up finish to his racing CV, an incredible feat in his debut year of single-seater competition.

Scott’s performances also earned him the coveted Mazda Road To Indy Formula Ford Driver of the Year award for 2013. The prize saw the teenager travel to Alabama in December where he sampled USF2000 and Pro Mazda machinery at IndyCar venue Barber Motorsports Park.

Now he has inked a deal to return to Oxfordshire-based Falcon Motorsport, and says that a second year in the highly competitive Formula Ford championship was a natural decision.

“We had a big sit-down over the winter to examine our options,” explained Scott. “I’m still only 17 and I want to learn my trade properly and get some good results, so we decided not to try to move up the ladder too quickly and that another season of Formula Ford was the best option. We are so happy with how the championship is run, the BTCC support status, the media and the TV time it gives drivers, so it was an easy choice.

“Racing in America was certainly an option, and remains so for the future, but right now I’m keen to give it my all in Europe and see what comes of that.

“Last year I gained an understanding of how to drive the EcoBoost Formula Ford at high speed, and the confidence to do so, and that will be a big help. Hopefully it will give me an edge over the new boys coming into the championship.”

And Scott makes it clear that his goal for the coming season is to draw upon his experience and clinch the British Formula Ford title outright.

“My aim will be to try to go one better than last year and to win the championship using everything that I have so far learned. I came on strong in the second half of the year, was challenging Dan, and if I can carry that on and win races then hopefully the championship title will follow.”

Scott will begin his assault on the British Formula Ford crown when the 2014 season begins at Brands Hatch on 29/30 March.

Barkingside racer Scott Malvern produced a masterful display to claim the 2013 Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone last weekend coming out on top of an entry of almost 120 drivers including the highly rated Nick Tandy & Joey Foster.

Making his debut in the annual end of season extravaganza Scott driving for The Kevin Mills Racing Team took dominant wins in his heat, semi-final, and Grand Final.

Qualifying third for his heat in the very tricky conditions of fog and a greasy track early on Saturday morning, Scott took just two corners to make into the lead in what was considered to be the toughest qualifying heat of the whole event such was its list of potential overall event winners. It looked as though Scott’s victory train could be derailed as he’d opted for a full dry set up and it started to rain heavily from lap 2 onwards. But Scott remained in control driving a faultless race to win by a margin of 1.4 seconds setting fastest lap of the race in the process.
Better was to come in the Sunday lunchtime semi-final where he started from pole position from a full grid of 36 cars. In sunny, dry & cold conditions resisting an early challenge from three time event winner Joey Foster he stretched his lead to a 2.6 second margin by the end of the race again setting the fastest lap of the race.

In pole position for the grand-final, it initially looked as though Scott may face a stiff challenge from Irish driver Kevin O’Hara as the two began to gap the rest of the field but after just two racing laps the red flags were out and the race was stopped to clear a multiple car pile-up at Copse corner.

A lengthy delay ensued while the debris was cleared and the cars re-gridded for the restart. Scott made a superb start quickly pulling a gap on the rest of the field as a major squabble went on behind in the battle for second place. Scott was never challenged and drove off into the distance winning by a very impressive margin of 8.7 seconds and setting the fastest lap of the race and the day on his final lap.

Scott delighted with his win commented afterwards “It’s fantastic to win this event with all the big names in it at the end of what has been a frustrating season with no regular drive. I’m hoping this will remind people that I’m still around and what I’m capable of and will hopefully lead to better things for 2014. A big thank you to Contract Lift Solutions, Informu Solutions, Laserfiche, MIR & Baines Leasing for their help in getting me here”

2013 Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain runner-up Harrison Scott swapped slicks and wings for a roof at Snetterton on Tuesday (October 29) when he sampled a British Touring Car for the first time.

The 17-year-old had been invited to take part in the test with front-running BTCC squad Airwaves Racing by tyre partner Dunlop as part of his prize for winning this year’s British Formula Ford Scholarship Class.

With only one year of car racing experience under his belt, the front-wheel-drive Ford Focus ST was completely different to the EcoBoost single-seater Scott has driven this season. Nevertheless, it didn’t take long for the Althorne teenager to get up to speed.

After a briefing from current Airwaves Racing driver Tom Onslow-Cole, Scott spent the morning familiarising himself with the tin-top during a six-lap run on used tyres, before being entrusted with a brand new set of rubber for his afternoon race simulation.

“I absolutely loved being out in a touring car for the first time,” explained Scott. “Needless to say it’s a totally different experience to the Formula Ford I’ve raced this season, but not at all how I imagined it would be actually. Being front-wheel-drive you assume beforehand that it will have a greater tendency to understeer than a single-seater with higher front-end downforce. But that wasn’t the case and, in fact, through the fast corners it’s the rear that becomes a bit twitchy.

“Having said that I was able to feel comfortable quite quickly. Talking to Tom proved really useful, while the Airwaves team seemed pretty impressed with the times given my level of experience. I wouldn’t say that the day opened my eyes to the possibility of a career outside of single-seaters; it’s always been a consideration even if I am fully focused on achieving my dream of racing in Formula 1. But it did give me a greater perspective on how capable a touring car is.”

Dave Bartrum, whose Motorbase squad runs the Airwaves Racing Focuses, added: “We expected a high level of ability based on where the drivers had come from; but to be thrown straight in at the deep end and to show the speed and ability they did, away from their areas of expertise, just shows where their talents lie. All the drivers did very well and impressed the whole team. The day was great testament to Dunlop tyres and the firm’s support and commitment to the BTCC and racing as a whole. Airwaves Racing is very proud to have been a part of it.”

Scott will hope to be equally adept at testing unfamiliar machinery when he visits America in December 9/10 to receive his Mazda Road To Indy Formula Ford Driver of the Year prize test at the wheel of a USF2000 and Pro Mazda single-seaters.

It wasn’t the dream comeback win to Formula Ford 1600, in the Bert Ray Memorial Trophy at Brands Hatch, that Barkingside’s Scott Malvern had hoped for but it was oh so close with Scott trailing winner Oliver White by less than a tenth of a second at the chequered flag. Scott also had the consolation of bagging the fastest lap of the race.

A win was always going to be a big ask for Scott in an unfamiliar car against the series regulars and with just 30 minutes pre-event practice to familiarise himself which unfortunately was shortened even more by stoppages. But an encouraging performance in qualifying placed him third (out of 22 cars) on the starting grid, all be it just over half a second off of pole sitter and series front runner Josh Barnett. Improvements made to the car before the race saw that deficit completely eradicated.

Scott said “the lack practice didn’t help so we only really got to grips with the car during the fifteen minute qualifying session and we knew then that it was geared incorrectly and had some set up issues. Unfortunately we couldn’t do anything about the gear ratios as the team didn’t have the correct ones but we made some positive changes elsewhere and considering we ran on old tyres as well against new rubber for most of the others it wasn’t a bad showing. It was nice to get fastest lap and I could’ve got the win but Oliver was being very forceful and made contact every time I drew alongside (see photo). I was conscious of the fact that I was in a loaned car so I didn’t want to risk potentially expensive damage.”

“Not sure what I’ll be up to next but I’ve had a couple of interesting offers on the back of the performance this weekend so I will be considering those. I’d really to thank everyone who supported me at this event especially Contract Lift Solutions Ltd and Laserfiche Electronic Document Solutions and to Souley Motorsport for letting me use their car. I’d also like to thank James Beckett for running this great (Champion of Brands) series which really deserves to be supported. I hope I get the opportunity to return”

Barkingside’s Scott Malvern endured a difficult weekend at Brands Hatch in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford 200 Championship but still showed his pace by setting the fastest lap of all cars racing at the Easter British Touring Car meeting and a new lap record for the Indy Circuit.

With just a half day of testing prior to the two 40 minute practice sessions on the Friday warm up Scott knew that he was likely to be on the back foot and really just concentrated in getting himself dialled into the newly rebuilt car which had only been finished two days before.

Nevertheless Scott’s times in the official qualifying session were good enough to give him front row starts in 2nd place for all three races with the experienced Leeds based driver Dan Cammish taking pole position for all three races.

The signs didn’t look good when Scott’s engine wouldn’t fire up in the holding area immediately before the first race on Saturday afternoon and although Scott managed to start the car and hold third place until half distance of the race it was clear that he was down on power and eventually he cruised into the pits with a badly misfiring engine. A glitch in the computer controlled electrical system was later diagnosed.

Race two was held in extremely cold conditions on Sunday morning. Scott experienced wheel spin pulling away from the line and slipped back to third place behind Jamun team mate Luke Williams. But he soon settled into a rhythm and it was plain to see that the Contract Lift Solutions liveried car was the fastest on the track. He overtook Williams with a spectacular move going into Paddock Hill Bend on lap 7 and set off in pursuit of Cammish who by now had opened up a gap of over 4 seconds.

Relentlessly Scott pursued the leader reeling off fastest lap after fastest lap and setting a new lap record in the process closing right onto the back of Cammish on lap 23 of 26. But the superior straight line speed of the leader’s car meant that he was just able to fend off the challenge by the narrowest of margins at the chequered flag.

Unfortunately Scott’s bad luck returned for race three at the end of the day. Scott’s car was tagged by that of his Argentinian team mate Nico Maranzana and sent into a spin at Graham Hill bend. Scott had no option but to let the whole field pass before spinning his car around on the grass and setting off again over half a lap down. But very determined he again reeled off fastest lap after fastest lap on a spectacular drive through to 8th position falling just short of joining a three car battle for 5th place ahead. Dan Cammish collected his third win of the weekend.

The multiple single seater champion was philosophical in summing up his weekend afterwards. “We showed we had the speed all through the weekend but one way or another we just didn’t have the rub of the green. I’m not sure what we are going to do next. We only had enough funding for this weekend so we are going to have to re-group and see what can be done. I’d really like to thank Contract Lift Solutions and all of my other supporters for getting me here and I’m only sorry we couldn’t deliver a better set of results”

The next Dunlop MSA Formula Ford 200 Championship event is at Donington Park in Leicestershire on 20/21st April and once again there will be live TV coverage of the event on ITV4. Any potential partners interested in helping Scott get onto the grid should get in touch with Dominic Malvern on 07940.204985 or dominicmalvern@yahoo.co.ukhttp://www.scottmalvern.com/.

Fred Martin-Dye, one of the UK’s most highly rated single-seater racers, is delighted to confirm a return to the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain for 2013 after agreeing a coveted works deal with Fluid Motorsport to pilot a brand new Sinter EcoBoost chassis.

The Guildford 24-year-old, known as ‘Fast Fred’ in motorsport circles, will embark on his first full campaign in the prestigious category and is aiming to build on the podium success he enjoyed in the part-season he contested last year.

New for 2013 in Formula Ford is the addition of aerodynamic wings to the front and rear of the EcoBoost 200 cars which debuted last year. Moving the championship more in line with the subsequent rungs on the single-seater ladder towards the FIA Formula One World Championship, such as Formula 3, GP3 Series and GP2 Series, Fred is relishing the challenge.

Notably, the Surrey racer will compete this year in support of leading national charity the Amber Foundation, an inspirational organisation which helps disadvantaged and unemployed young people gain motivation, confidence and skills to help improve their life chances. As part of its work, Amber provides vital accommodation and employment opportunities.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have signed a deal with Fluid to race the brand new Sinter chassis this year and I’m really looking forward to getting out there and building on everything we achieved last season”, commented Fred, “It’s fantastic to have the support of Amber and I’ll be doing all I can through my racing to help promote the incredible work the charity does for the disadvantaged.”

Despite having undertaken a five year sabbatical from motorsport prior to last year’s part-season in the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, in order to give full focus to a Masters Degree in Automotive Engineering at the University of Bath, Fred showed no rustiness on his return.

Although only contesting the first half of the 2012 campaign, the car racing newcomer more than made an impact and managed to secure a maiden podium in only his second Formula Ford race at Oulton Park in Cheshire. At the point Fred’s part-season reached its conclusion, he was the highest placed rookie in the championship and in the top three of the overall standings.

“We really weren’t sure what to expect last year, especially after such a long time away from racing, but I was quietly confident we could take some good results”, added Fred, “Everything is new again this year with the addition of the wings, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. With the added bonus of live TV coverage, it should be a fantastic season.”

Martin-Dye aiming to make more headlines in 2013
Lighting-up the karting world during his formative career, where highlights included being crowned 2000 Super 1 National Cadet Vice-Champion, 2003 Super 1 National Formula JICA Vice-Champion and 2004 Super 1 National Formula ICA Vice-Champion, Fred then made history as the youngest ever racer to be invited onto the exclusive British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star programme.

Off the track, as well as on it, ‘Fast Fred’ has long been making headlines and in 2002 he became the first youngster to be awarded a motor racing scholarship to Cranleigh School in Surrey. Famously, he made the national news when just seven years-old after his father, Phil, placed a £1,000 wager with bookmaker William Hill stating his son would win an F1 Grand Prix by the time he was 27-years-old.

Fred’s racing this year will be beamed live across the UK on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channels ITV4 and ITV4 HD, by way of Formula Ford having become part of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship support package. His exploits will be witnessed by a total TV audience of almost 20 million in Britain alone, in addition to tens of thousands more trackside each weekend.

A busy week ended with James Peace testing the brand new for 2012, Formula Ford EcoBoost car at Silverstone National Circuit with experienced team JTR.

Incredibly for his local track, James has never driven the National Circuit at Silverstone before, but again showed his true pace matching the times of other drivers that have had several days in the new car.

Team Principle Nick Tandy commented, “James took to the new EcoBoost car extremely well, he clearly knows what he is doing behind the wheel of a race car. I believe Formula Ford would benefit from a driver like James as much as he would benefit from racing in the series himself.”

Like any grassroots driver in these economic times, James is still seeking budget to compete in this years championship, but with the exposure that Formula Ford generates, it is a great opportunity for businesses to get involved in this exciting new format of the championship.

James can be contacted via twitter @JamesPeaceRace or through his website info@jamespeace.net

Just when you thought Scott Malvern’s highly successful motor racing season couldn’t get any better the Barkingside young rising star has topped it off by winning the highly prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. The Festival enjoying its 40th anniversary this year has a list of illustrious past winners including Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Johnny Herbert.

The triumph means that Scott has enjoyed a clean sweep of all the major motor racing honours available to him this season adding to the already won Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain and the Formula Ford Euro-Cup.

Although he faced stiff competition at Brands Hatch with top drivers entered not just from the UK but from all over the world including Australia, Finland & USA, Scott was always in command through the event qualifying in pole position for his group and then going on to win his heat, quarter final, semi-final and final races to take the overall victory. Scott delighted afterwards said “I came to this event as a very young mechanic in 2008 working for Australian driver Tim Blanchard and thought to myself that I’d love to come back and win it myself. Little did I imagine that three years later I would do just that”
Scott’s busy season isn’t over just yet though. He has been hired as the development driver for the new Formula Ford ECO Boost race car and will be taking part in several test days in the coming weeks. He will also line up for the 2nd consecutive year as one of the six finalists for the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. This is the top award in British Motorsport and brings with it a prize of a McLaren Formula One test and £100,000 towards next season’s race budget.

Scott will also be returning to his karting roots this week on Thursday 20th October when he joins a number of top British motor racing stars to compete in the Henry Surtees Foundation benefit event at Buckmore Park Kart circuit in Kent. Henry was the late son of multiple motorcycle and Formula One World Champion John Surtees who lost his life in a tragic accident in 2009.

Post Script
Late last night we received the tragic news that British Motor Racing Star Dan Wheldon had tragically lost his life in a race accident in Las Vegas. Dan was one of the drivers who proved to be a real inspiration for Scott’s career and he is deeply saddened to learn of his premature death. Dan’s achievements in twice winning the Indy 500, arguably the most famous motor race in the world, and the Indy-Car Championship place him among the all-time greats. It is tragic that his death should come at a time when his career was undergoing a real resurgence after a difficult couple of years. Scott & his family would like to extend their deepest sympathy to all of Dan’s family & friends.

2011 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Champion of Great Britain and Euro-Cup winner Scott Malvern has been nominated as one of six finalists for the highly prestigious McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award.

Scott’s utter domination of the 2011 Formula Ford season, which has seen him take 21 victories from 26 race starts so far, made him a strong candidate as a finalist for the 2nd successive year.

When told of the news Scott commented “I’m naturally delighted. This vindicates what was seen by many to be a risky strategy in returning to Formula Ford this season having had such a brilliant 2010. If I hadn’t dominated this category in my 2nd season here I would have been thought of as a failure. I’ve done the job I set out to do. It was in the back of my mind that I could earn a 2nd crack at the award but I never ever take anything for granted. A big thank you to the judges for selecting me and a massive thank you to the Jamun Racing Team and all of my supporters for helping to get me here. I am really looking forward to the competition and intend to enjoy every second of it!”

Scott and the other five finalists will be assessed in a test at Silverstone in November by a panel of judges. The panel includes former Formula 1 racer, World Sportscar Champion and BRDC president Derek Warwick, two-time BTCC champion Jason Plato, DTM ace Jamie Green, McLaren head of vehicle engineering Mark Williams, renowned motorsports commentator Ian Titchmarsh, and AUTOSPORT journalists Kevin Turner and Marcus Pye.

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